Kiss of the Spider Woman
Kiss of the Spider Woman ia a musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb based on the novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña by Manuel Puig and respective film. Cast *Brent Carver - Luis Alberto Molina *Anthony Crivello - Valentin Arregui Paz *Chita Rivera - Spider Woman/Aurora *Kirsti Carnahan - Marta *Herndon Lackey - Warden *Merle Louise - Molina's Mother *Jerry Christakos - Gabriel Plot Luis Alberto Molina, a homosexual window dresser, is in a prison in a Latin American country, serving his third year of an eight-year-sentence for corrupting a minor. He lives in a fantasy world to flee the prison life, the torture, fear and humiliation. His fantasies turn mostly around movies, particularly around a vampy diva, Aurora. He loves her in all roles, but one scares him: This role is the spider woman, who kills with her kiss. One day, a new man is brought into his cell: Valentin Arregui Paz, a Marxist revolutionary, already in a bad state of health after torture. Molina cares for him and tells him of Aurora. But Valentin can't stand Molina and his theatrical fantasies and draws a line on the floor to stop Molina from coming nearer to him. Molina, however, continues talking, mostly to block out the cries of the tortured prisoners, about Aurora and his mother. Valentin at last tells Molina that he is in love with a girl named Marta. Again, Valentin is tortured, again Molina has to care for him afterwards. In his fantasies, Aurora is next to him, helping him do so. The prison director announces to Molina that his mother is very ill and that Molina will be allowed to see her on one condition: he must tell them the name of Valentin's girlfriend. Molina tells Valentin about his love: A waiter named Gabriel. Only a short while afterwards, Molina gets hallucinations and cramps after knowingly eating poisoned food intended for Valentin. He is brought to the hospital ward, talking to Aurora and his mother. As Molina is brought back, Valentin starts suffering from the same symptoms, also from poisoned food. Molina is afraid that Valentin will be given substances that might make him talk and so protects Valentin from being taken to the hospital. As Molina nurses him, Valentin asks him to tell him about his movies. Molina is happy to do so; Valentin also shares his fantasies and hopes with Molina. Molina is allowed a short while at the telephone with his mother, back he announces to Valentin that he's going to be freed for his good behaviour the next day. Valentin begs him to do a few telephone calls for him, Molina at first refuses, but Valentin knows how to persuade his cell mate. Molina is brought back the next day, heavily injured. He has been caught in the telephone call, but refuses to tell whom he has phoned. The warden draws his pistol, threatening to shoot him, if he doesn't tell. Molina confesses his love to Valentin and is shot. The scene then shifts to Molina in a heaven like world, where all of the people in his life are watching his final "movie." The Spider Woman arrives and gives her deadly kiss as the curtain falls. Musical numbers ; Act I * Prologue – Spider Woman and Prisoners * "Her Name is Aurora" – Molina, Aurora, Aurora's Men and Prisoners * "Over the Wall" – Prisoners * "And the Moon Grows Dimmer" – Aurora * "Bluebloods" – Molina * "Dressing Them Up" / "I Draw the Line" – Molina and Valentin * "Dear One" – Molina's Mother, Marta, Valentin and Molina * "Over the Wall II" – Prisoners, Molina and Valentin * "Where You Are" – Aurora, Aurora's Man and Prisoners * "Over the Wall III" / "Marta" – Valentin and Prisoners * "Come" – Spider Woman * "I Do Miracles" – Aurora and Marta * "Gabriel's Letter" / "My First Woman" – Gabriel and Valentin * "Morphine Tango" – Orderlies * "You Could Never Shame Me" – Molina's Mother * "A Visit" – Spider Woman and Molina * "She's a Woman" – Molina * "Gimme Love" – Aurora, Molina and Aurora's Men ; Act II * "Russian Movie" / "Good Times" – Aurora, Molina and Valentin * "The Day After That" – Valentin and Families of the Disappeared * "Mama, It's Me" – Molina * "Anything for Him" – Spider Woman, Molina and Valentin * "Kiss of the Spider Woman" – Spider Woman * "Over the Wall IV" / "Lucky Molina" – Warden and Prisoners * "Only in the Movies" / "His Name was Molina" – Molina and the People in His Life Category:Stage musicals